With Real Madrid looking to bounce back from European disappointment, Pablo Piatti has urged Valencia to be ruthless as they target a shock.

Published

7 May 2015

Pablo Piatti knows Valencia will need to take their chances in order to beat a Real Madrid side coming off disappointment in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.

Valencia visit the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday looking to take another step towards securing a top-four berth in La Liga.

Nuno's men beat Real at Mestalla in January and, after seeing Carlo Ancelotti's side suffer a 2-1 Champions League semi-final first-leg defeat to Juventus on Tuesday, head into the game in high spirits.

"We are confident about our chances," winger Piatti said. "We are aware that we will have opportunities against Real Madrid and we must be at 100 per cent to take advantage of them. We should be focusing on everything we can do, both in attack and defence.

"The manager will have a good plan for this match. Whatever the formation, the goal is the same as always: We will go out there to win. We will be playing at a tough and very difficult ground, but we know what we want from the game. We go there with the conviction of getting the three points."

Real could kick-off against Valencia five points adrift of league leaders Barcelona should the Catalan club build on their 3-0 victory in the Champions League versus Bayern Munich when Luis Enrique's team host Real Sociedad.

Sevilla, who were unfortunate to lose 3-2 to Real last time out, will be looking for the capital club to do them a favour ahead of Sunday's meeting with a Celta Vigo side still holding faint hopes of European football themselves.

Three points at Balaidos and a Valencia defeat to Real would see Sevilla move level on points in the race for fourth, although Unai Emery's men do possess an inferior goal difference.

Valencia's city rivals Levante host soon-to-be deposed champions Atletico Madrid, whose only remaining aim is to secure third spot, while at the other end of the table Granada will be out to further boost their hopes of survival after making a winning start to Jose Ramon Sandoval's reign.

Sandoval guided second bottom Granada to a 2-1 win at Getafe in his first game in charge and should be hopeful of making it two from two against already-relegated Cordoba.

Three other teams are still fighting along with Granada to avoid the drop. Third-bottom Deportivo La Coruna visit Athletic Bilbao, Eibar face Espanyol and Almeria take on Malaga.